Chronicles of Camping (In Which I Kick Sand in the Face of Danger)

This year, I found myself thinking that I hadn’t been camping in a very long time, and that I might like to go. Tragically, I had this thought some time in the middle of August, and drastically underestimated the amount of people that enjoy reserving camp sites in the middle of September. I say ‘reserving camp sites’ rather than ‘camping’ because I can only assume, based on the number of reserved sites in the month of September (many) compared to the amount of actual live people at the campground (none), that people are getting their kicks from sitting at home on their computers and making campground reservations for the sheer thrill. As a result, Bryan and I got pigeon-holed into camping at the end of September. (This conveniently coincided with the week of his birthday so that I can pretend that we went camping for his birthday and not feel bad for not doing anything special even though he doesn’t really like camping.)

That is not to say that the camping trip was bad. It wasn’t. It was a great trip and, considering that it took place in the middle of the fall, could hardly have gone better. We were largely prepared for the cold weather, which surprised us by being balmy and beautiful (for September), and we didn’t expect to be able to swim or tan or anything like that, so we weren’t disappointed. The thing that I didn’t take into account was the fact that the last time I was camping I was literally responsible for absolutely nothing. I had no say in, nor responsibility for any of the organizational aspects of the trips. My parents ran the whole show, and I was pretty much completely oblivious as to all the finer details of camping. After hitting this realization like an electric fence, I asked my wonderful mom for some helpful advice. She proceeded to tell me things that I am sure seasoned campers will take for granted as common sense that I had not even begun to think of. For example, freeze things before you go. Don’t just put kind of chilled food in a cooler and expect it to keep. Keep your cooler under the bench of a picnic table so that animals can’t get into it. (That one I found to be particularly ingenious.)

Speaking of animals, since the park that we were able to scrounge up a reservation at was located on a tiny, sandy peninsula in lake Erie, one side of it was nothing but a great big beach, and the other side was nothing but a giant squishy marsh, with a bit of solid land in the middle to set up tents on. (Our campsite was on the beachy side, so the ground cover on the whole site was sand.) As a result there is a distinct lack of wildlife at this park aside from snakes, toads and seagulls, which we saw in abundance. Other than that we encountered approximately two animals. (Approximately.) One was a very tiny black turtle that I rescued from the middle of the deserted road and didn’t think to take a picture of. The other was a furry mammal of some kind that thought it would like whatever was in our garbage bag. (This goes back to another piece of what I suspect is camping common sense: Take out your trash every night. Or at least put it in the trunk.) Bryan and I were sitting around the fire on our second (or maybe third - I really don’t recall) night there, and there was a snuffling sound around the picnic table. I got up to investigate, forgetting that the animals of a provincial park are so acclimatized to humans that just walking near them is not enough to make them go away. I walked over to the picnic table, mostly blind as I didn’t think to bring a light, and thought to myself “What did I think I was going to do about this? I walked over here like I had some kind of purpose, and since my mere presence isn’t enough to scare it away, I guess I have to do something.” Except this whole thought process took place in about 0.4 seconds, so really it was something like “Oh-gawd-it’s-not-leaving-and-I-can’t-see-whatdoIdo?” KICK. My reflexive reaction was to kick sand at the beastie in hopes that it would go away. Immediately following this decision I realized that it was pretty stupid, thinking that it could be an angry porcupine at worst, or a particularly brave raccoon at best. To my great relief, rather than shooting quills at me or jumping on my face and maiming me, the animal trundled off and hid under the car for the next several hours. As it waddled away, I was still almost entirely blind, so I took the opportunity to check the animal out a little. All I could tell was that it was very light in colour, and I didn’t really think anything of it until I reached forward to pick up the garbage bag that it had been rooting through. Then I noticed the smell. I then ran away and hid behind the tent, babbling a little bit. Bryan was suitably confused, and I had to explain to him that “I just kicked sand in a skunk’s face.” He laughed at me and I came out from behind the tent and disposed of the garbage (armed with a lantern this time) and then we sat by the fire some more. So, like most of my stories, the end is a bit anticlimactic: “And then it ran away.” I didn’t get sprayed, and it didn’t come back, and I didn’t chase it down with a stick or anything, but it is the most interesting of my non-mushy camping stories, so there you have it. I kicked sand at a skunk and lived.

Cuba 7

Leaving tomorrow. Not getting back to Waterloo until Sunday, but one step at a time. Today was another day at the beach. I am staying out of the water tomorrow if I can. Piercings are not agreeing with the salt water, nor is my skin, though it certainly not as bad as it has been. My shins are getting better though. I plan to sleep a lot tomorrow so that I don't have to spend my whole day waiting to leave.

Very little exciting happened today. Beach, food, the show. (Which was pretty good, even if it was just fast ballet danced to Latin music.)

I am not excited for all the shit I have to do when I get back. It will seriously impede my making up for lost hang-outs.

Cuba 6

Three more sleeps 'til Waterloo. We leave the day after tomorrow. Not sure how I feel about that. I'm not bored with this place yet, so I will be a little sad to leave it, but I feel like when Saturday night rolls around I will be ready to go. There are only so many days in a row you can spend in agony (I'm exaggerating) on the beach and then read for the afternoon. I suspect that will be my next couple of days, as it was my day today. It was nice to just sit and read for a while. Alone time is important when I am spending time with my family. (I guess it's important always.)

I kind of wonder, after seeing and hearing about how these people live, if the people who work at the the resort don't resent the guests. I know that, in their position, almost anyone from our culture would hate everyone that they served. I guess there is just a completely different mindset here. Either that or they are just really good fakers.

I am finally getting a bit of a tan, now that my burns are fading a bit. I will get a bit of sun tomorrow, stay inside for the afternoon and hopefully my burns will be okay by Saturday so that I can actually get a bit of sun. I will also have some braids, which is kind of exciting. I'll have something to show for the trip, I guess, because I certainly won't have a tan.

I am kind of excited to go home with gifts. They are silly and cute and people may like them. I will find some random coral or shells or something tomorrow too. I am still debating whether or not I want to keep the banana knife, but I bought it as a gift. Hopefully the recipient will think it is as neat as I do.

Cuba 5

I have been waiting for this day. My skin is killing me, I am all sticky from being covered in aloe vera, and I have sunburns in ridiculous places. (The fronts of my shins and the tops of my feet, for example.) I am in a pretty substantial amount of pain. Looks like it is going to be a tame day at the beach tomorrow.

So all this is because of the ride on the catamaran today and sitting out on the nets like an idiot instead of under the canopy with the sane people. But, despite some mild skin-melting, today was pretty spectacular. Left first thing in the morning for the catamaran, which went for about 40 minutes to an awesome (living) reef, where we snorkelled for about an hour. Some pretty exciting fish and some awesome coral. After that, more boat ride to the place with the dolphins, which we swam with. Pretty neat. Dolphins might be one of the cutest animals ever. Dolphin kisses for all. It was very cute. Lots of good pictures. It was, to be honest, a little hokey though. I can deal with that. Then back to the resort and wasting time and all that. I came in because I was really sleepy, but I really wanted to call home while I was sitting by myself. I am missing Waterloo quite a lot. All kinds of things that we have been doing just make me think "I wish So-And-So were here with me" I ended up not calling because it is late and expensive. Hopefully I will make the same decision in the next few nights. $3.50 a minute is a lot.

Cuba 4

The silly shows that are put on every night are very silly. But funny. But silly. Anyway, miserable weather today, but it's the first time it's happened, so I guess I can't complain. It wasn't even rainy, it was just windy, so it ws cold and we couldn't swim at the beach. (Which is probably for hte better, as far as my piercings are concerned.) I actually contemplated paying for internet today, just because I had nothing better to do. I ended up taking a nap and then reading. Maybe later in the week I will internet it up.

We did hit the market in Guardalavaca (which I learned the name of today) and it was kind of neat. It was just kind of hokey and silly. You know how it is. All the same stuff at each stand, all really touristy, but some of the stuff was neat. Clavés are neat. Anyway, I don't understand how I can still be tired. I've been sleeping like 10 hours a night, and I slept for like 3 hours this afternoon. If I lie down right now, I will pass out. I guess I have been doing more and getting more tired than I realize. It's a good way to get fat, living like this. Doing nothing but getting up, eating, maybe swimming a little, more eating, then sleeping. Ah well. Better carry on the cycle. I'll worry about being healthy again when I get home. (That's a lie. I will start worrying about it starting now, and eat less. Buffet meals are killer.)

Cuba 3

Better day today. We spent almost the entire day at the beach. As a result I have some minor sunburns and a tiny tan. (The bottom parts of my ass cheeks are burned. That's what happens when I forget that my bathing suit doesn't cover me as well as I'm used to.) We decided on a trip today, which I am really fracking pumped for. We are going on a catamaran to swim with dolphins and snorkel on a living reef, not a dead one like the one at the beach. There will also be lobster. This is on Wednesday, so we have a day to waste before then. Probably will spend much of it at the market in Guadala-something-or-other. Maybe I will be able to waste a bit of my spending money.

Another thing from yesterday, now that I remember, I have been "hit on" by more guys in the last couple of days that most of the rest of my life. A bartender told me that I have beautiful eyes and always makes a distinct effort to serve me at the bar. (Not sure if that qualifies.) Some guy offered me a smoke out of the blue at the ship bar, (I call it that because the supports for the roof are decorated to look like masts,) and a couple of guys were VERY obviously checking me out at the beach today. (The kind of checking out where there is eye contact.) So I feel flattered.

Anyway, not a lot of crazy excitemend today. Beach, snorkelling, LOTS of fish, (that swim all over you when you give them bread,) and a silly dance show at night. I am missing home, and periodically I think about how long until I go back. I was right though. Calling would be really expensive, and there is no guarantee of a conversation if I go online. I guess I will just have to hold out.

Cuba 2

Today has been ridiculous.

Start at the beginning. Snorkelling was fantastic. I intend to do it again as often as possible. SO MANY COLOURFUL FISH! ...We spent most of the day at the beach, swimming and snorkelling and stuff. By that I mean that I snorkelled and everyone else ignored me. Not the point. I think the salt water might be messing with my piercings though. The one is getting much grosser. I guess I will have to deal with it when I get back, because it is sure as hell not going to stop me from swimming. The food in this place is mediocre, but food is food. Whatever. We also are trying to work out our one tour for the week, and figure out what to do. Everyone wants to do a different one, and no one wants to pay as much as any of them cost.

Cuba 1

[For the record, I wrote these by hand in Cuba and am just posting them here for the benefit of anyone who wants to know a bit about my trip. That's why they all have old dates on them.]

So, Valentine's Day, Cuba, first internationsal travel and first plane flight ever. Big day. I was up crazy early this morning because I was excited, so I spent most of my morning talking to people via text and wasting time. Talking to people was kind of nice before I left.

Plane rides are bearable, but they are SCARY AS HELL. Taking off and landing I was white-knuckled the whole time. (Good ice-wine mid-flight though.) I have only seen the resort in the dark so far, but it seems gorgeous. The beach is big and lovely. Plan to hit that first thing after breakfast tomorrow.

We got in at the resort at about 22:45 or so, by the time we got in at the airport and took a coach for an hour to the resort itself. Not bad time, I guess, but it sure makes for a long day. We got in and settled in our rooms and then went to the all-night bar, because it is the only place that you can get food after 22:00. I learned there that a daquiri is apparently just a cup full of run with some sugar and a lime. I did not enjoy it.

Mom was cute and tucked little heart chocolates into our luggage before we left, so when we got settled in, it was cute.

Well, it's now almost 02:00 and I am exhausted. Maybe my tiredness will make up for the ridiculously hard and uncomfortable bed. Here's hoping.

I Remember Every Little Thing As If It Happened Only Yesterday

(Paradise By The Dashboard Light, Meatloaf)

Book that I highly recommend: The Game, by Neil Strauss. I started reading it last night, and I am in love with it. It's competing hard for the title of my favorite book. Read it. It's fascinating, and entertaining, and all that good stuff.

Anyway... So I'm back at home, and working, and all that jazz. As I suspected, the place where my Dad works did not even call me, because I am a girl... My brother got a call. You know how it is. Girls can't work in plants. It's dirty and smelly. Whatever. I am bitter.

The Badly Planned Road Trip went spectacularily. We didn't even die in a horrible car wreck, even though the car needed $1500 of work done to it when we got back. Disconnected struts and a cracked ball-joint... For the record, it was like that before we left. (I'm serious!) So apparently we were lucky to have made it at all. It was a good time, though. We went to Ottawa, and stayed at Cassie's family's house, and then to Montréal, where we stayed in an interesting (but cramped) youth hostel. It was neat. I spent a lot of time playing (fighting) with Cassie's family's dog... It made me miss Kaos. I want my puppy. :(

Bryan is finally moved into my place. His stuff is still sitting in boxes, with nothing done to it aside from it being slightly messed up from the times when he started digging through it because he needed something. (I am guessing at this last part... It's pretty likely, though.) He claims that the floor is crooked, and that the ceiling is too low, which it is, but it's not a bad little place.

Bryan is coming to the Tetris party... We're going to sit around, (four of us,) and play Tetris until our eyes bleed. Actually, we're playing until we beat the game. We'll do it. It can actually be done, because it's the N64 version. Winning does exist in that game.

I got my final grades back, finally. I have to take theory again, which upsets me quite a bit. I think otherwise my school schedule should remain unchanged, aside from bumping theory back a year, which will be a pain in the ass. I got a D in theory, but I needed a C+, because music is an honours program. It stresses me out.

I forget all the other stuff I was going to talk about... So I'll just cut it off here.